Ampoule washing machine



1952 J. TORIGIAN AMPOULE WASHING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001.. 12, 1946 1952 J. TORIGIAN AMPOULE WASHING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 12, 1946 Dec. 2, 1952 J. TORIGIAN 2,619,976

AMPOULE WASHING MACHINE Filed Oct. 12, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 8 EN V [:EN TOR. BY

Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AMPOULE WASHING MACHINE John Torigian, New York, N. Y.

Application October 12, 1946,.SerialNo.702,955

2 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for washing ampules, and more particularly to an apparatus'for subjecting the ampules to successive washingsof cold water, hot water, drying air or possibly to other fluid treatments, whereby the treated ampules are thoroughly and efficiently cleansed.

An object of the invention is to provide a machineof this character which is preferably manually operated, or in which the ampules to be cleaned are moved from one treating stage to the other by hand, yet by which a relatively high work output is secured.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for loadin and unloading the machine; to provide drainage means operative while the ampulesare being carried from one station to the next; to provide fluid shut-off during movement of the ampules from one station to the next, and to provide means by which the washing and drying fluids are fed during halts in the movement of the machine turn-table.

These and other objects are attained by the invention, a more particular description of which will hereinafter appear and be set forth in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an embodiment of the machine is disclosed, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with parts in section, of one of the ampule supports; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine, with parts in section; Fig. 4 is a view of one of the bearings for the ampule supports or manifolds, showing the means by which the manifold or support can be tilted to facilitate the removal of the ampules and the loading of the same; Fig. 5 is a side View of one of the tubular jets, showing the adjustable support or pad thereon and an ampule in place for washing; Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the machine; Fig. '7 is a sectional view on the line 'l-'| of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the bowl or main casing of the machine, and Fig. 9 is a sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, I indicates the bowl or main casing of the machine. The same is supported from the floor by means of the three legs 2., and it is provided with a circumferential vertical wall 3, beaded orrimmed at the top as at 4, and having a front portion 5 of lowered height to facilitate the tilting of the ampule supports and the charging and discharging .of the ampules at this point.

In the operation :of the-machine, the ampules to be washed are .manually'placed in position on a carrier or support at the station indicated at .A. By rotation of a hand-wheel indicated at .6, the carrier is brought to the station indicated at B where the ampules on the carrier are internally sprayed with cold water. When the wheel 6 is again turned, for a quarter of a turn the carrier is brought to a station indicated at C where the ampules are washed with hot water. On the next quarter turn of the hand wheel 5, the carrie is moved to the station indicated at D where a flow of warm air is directed into the ampules to dry same, and on the wheel being again given a quarter turn the carrier is brought to station A where the washed and dried ampules are removed and the carrier filled with ampules to be next moved to station B to begin the cycle of operations just described.

R-otatively mounted within the housing 'orbowl I is the turntable T on which the carriers for the ampules are mounted and by which the carriers are moved from one station to the next. The turntable l is in the form of an apertured disk, being provided with the apertures 8 and slots 9. Secured to its underside, near its periphery are four bearing blocks I0, each of which carries a roller II (Fig. 6), said rollers ll supporting the turntable on the bottom of the bowl or casing I and permitting easy rotative movement of the turntable when the hand wheel 6 is manually operated.

The turntable l is provided with a central hub l2 secured to a flange l 3 formed at the lower end of a hollow pedestal M, provided at its top with the shaft I5 to which the hub l6 of the hand wheel 6 is secured. This arrangement is such that when the hand wheel is manually turned, the turntable is correspondingly rotated.

Secured to the bottom of the hub 12 of the turntable, is a plug-valve 11, to be later described in detail, and said plug-valve is rotative in a valve seat [8 secured in an opening Illa (Fig. 8) in the bottom of a sump l9 formed at the bottom of the bowl or casing l of the machine. Plate 20, held in place by the screw 2| maintains the valve securely against its seat, but permits of rotation of the valve when the hand wheel 6 is turned. Through the construction described, it will be apparent that when the hand wheel 6 is turned, the turntable 1 will be rotated and the valve ll, attached. to the hub of the turntable, will be rotated on its seat l8 to shut off the flow of fluids in a manner to be described.

To halt the turntable at the several stations A to D inclusive, a stop means is provided, the same consisting of a spring pressed plunger 22 (Fig. 3), operative through the side wall 3 of the bowl or casing l, and adapted to engage with any one of four notches 23 provided in the periphery of the turntable 7. Thus, when manually turning the turntable by manipulation of the hand wheel 6, the wheel is turned until the plunger 22 clicks into engagement with the notch 23 that is moved toward it and this will position the several ampule-carriers at their respective stations. The plunger 22 is mounted in a tubular housing 24 in which a spring is contained to urge the plunger toward the turntable, and a knob 25 is provided at the outer end of the .plunger whereby the plunger can be manually drawn back at any time and held in such retracted position should it be desired to manually freely rotate the turntable for testing or for other purposes.

Four ampule carriers are employed in the machine, the same being respectively indicated at 26,21, 28 and 29in Fig. 3. These carriers or supports for the ampules are alike in construction and therefore a description of one of them will suffice for all. The construction of the ampule carriers is more clearly shown in Fig. 2, where it will be noted that the ame includes a hollow manifold 30, having its top provided with a plurality of spaced, internally threaded apertures which threadably receive threaded plugs 3i. These plugs are tubular and driven through each of the same is a relatively lengthy tube 32 which rises vertically from the top of the manifold. These tubes 32 are made of stainless steel or other suitable material and the same constitute jet tubes through which the washing and drying fluids are ejected into the interior of the ampules 33 which are fitted over the open tops of the jet tubes, with the open ends of the ampules extending downwardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. It will be obvious from the foregoing, that when a fluid is directed into the hollow interior of the manifold 30, it will be caused to spray upwardly through the tubes 32 and be thus sprayed into the interiors of the ampules hung over the tops of the tubes'32 to thus clean the ampules so supported. To adapt the tubes to ampules of different length and to aid in the support of the ampules'on the tubes 32 it may be found desirable to provide collars or pads 34 on the tubes, as shown in Fig. 5. These collars 34 can be made of rubber or similar soft material and can be slid up or down on the tubes to properly position them thereon to support the open ends of the ampules. The fit of the collar 34 on the tube is such as to enable the collar to frictionally retain any position in which it is placed on the tube.

At one of its ends, the manifold 39 is provided with a projecting sleeve 35 constituting a spindle for'one end of the manifold, said spindle being rotatively mounted in a bearing 38 secured by screws 36 to a projection 3'! formed integrally with and arising from the top of the turntable 7. The sleeve 35 also constitutes a fluid-supply passage 38a through which fluid is forced into the interior of the manifold through a pipe or tube 39 held in the end of the sleeve 35 by means of the coupling nut 49.

At the opposite end of the manifold 30 is provided another spindle, indicated at 4|, the same being rotatively mounted in a bearing 42, secured by'the screws 43 to the top of a projection 44 formed integrally with the turntable I. Said hearing 42 also includes aquadrant 45. provided in its edge with two notches 46 and 41. Secured on the end portion 48a of the spindle 4| is a handle 48 having an upper tubular part 49 in which a spring-pressed plunger 50 is mounted. The end of said plunger is adapted to be engaged with either of the notches 46 or 41 in the quadrant 45. When in engagement with the notch 46, as shown in Fig. 4, the manifold is held with its upper surface in a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6. When it is desired to tilt the manifold, at the charging and discharging station A, handle 48 is swung forwardly or toward the operator positioned at the front of the machine, to bring the end of the plunger 59 into engagement with the notch 41 and this will hold the manifold in the tilted position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, enabling the operator to readily lift the cleansed ampules 33 from the ends of the tubes 32 and replace them with ampules to be next subjected to cleansing treatment by the machine. When the ampules have been placed on the ends of the tubes 32, handle 48 is moved rearwardly to bring the end of plunger 59 into the notch 45 and this will restore the manifold to its horizontal, or normal, operating position. To facilitate manual shifting movement of the handle 48, the upper end of the stem of the plunger 50 is provided with a knob 5|, pinned to the stem, and which is gripped by the hand and raised to thereby lift the plunger out of either of the notches and move it from one notch to the other.

At the bottom, the manifold is provided with a drain outlet 52 in which is fitted a plug 52a having a valve seat 53, normally closed by a valve 54 having its stem 55 extending downwardly below the valve seat and adapted during movement of the turntable 1, to be engaged by cam means 51 and 58 to thereby hold the valve 54in an open position and permit of the drainage of any of the accumulated fluids out of the manifold 39. When the valve 54 is held in its raised position, any water which is then in the manifold, will drain out through the drain openings 55 below the valve seat 53.

The cam means for causing the valve 54 to be held open during rotative movement of the turntable 1 are shown most clearly in Figs. 8 and 9. It will be therein seen that the cams 57 and 58 are of arcuate or segmental form, and each cam includes a horizontal flange 59 secured by screws or other fastening elements to a ridge 6| formed integrally with and rising from inner face of the bottom of the bowl or casing I. Each cam has a vertically disposed wall 62 and the valve stem 55 rides on the top face of this wall 62. At one end each cam is provided with the inclined surface 63 to facilitate the lifting of the valve stem.

When one of the carriers reaches the station B it is subject to a flow of cold water entering its manifold 39 through pipe or tube 39 and the water flows upwardly through the tubes 32 to wash the ampules then located over the ends of said tubes. While the turntable 1 is halted, the flow of water continues, durin which time the operator is unloading a carrier then at station A and is refilling the carrier with ampules .to be next washed. When the operator has filled the carrier at station A with ampules he turns the handwheel for a quarter turn to brin the charged carrier to station B. As the carrier which was at station E starts to move away from that station, the supply of cold water to that station is cut off by rotation of the plug valve l1 and at this time it is desirable to drain out the manifold 30 of the carrier. This is doneby the valve stem 55 riding upon the inclined surface .63.!!! cam :51, thuscausing valve 54 tolbe opened :andit .will be held open aslong as its :stem55 is resting against the :top face 62 of cam 51. Whenthe carrier*reachesstation C and is halted thereatythe valve stem 55-will drop off the end 64 of cam :51 to thereby close valve 54. At this time hot water will flow into the manifold 30, up through the tubes or jets 32 and cleanse the ampules held over the ends of the same. When the handwheel is again turned, the valve stem 55 will next be elevated by cam 58, in the manner described in connection with cam i and during the travel of the carrier from station C to station D, the valve 54 willbe kept open and drained of its accumulated hotwater. The water drainedfrom the manifolds of the several carriers will flow into the bowl or casing l and descend, into the sump I!) which is provided with an outlet 65 to which a pipe 56 is connected, said I pipe being also connected to a drain pan 6'! located below the sump to catch any dripping from below the valve IT. Pan 61 connects to the outlet pipes 68, 69 which can be connected to sewage.

The valve seat [8 is formed on a fluid-supply manifold 10, shown in Fig. '7, which is fitted in the aperture l8a of sump l9, and secured in position by the screws [9a. A cold water supply pipe shown at H (Fig. 1) for the supply of cold wash water at station B, extends from any suitable supply source, and is coupled by'elbow T2 to the passage 13 in the manifold "Hi. A hot water supply pipe 15, extends from a suitable supply source, and is coupled to a passage 16 (Fig. 7) through the elbow TI. Warm or hot air is supplied through a pipe 19 and through the elbow 80 that is coupled to the passage 8| in the manifold 10.

Provided in the plug valve ii are four passages 83 so positioned that when the turntable is halted after each quarter turn, three of said passages 83, or those for the stations B, C and D, will be aligned with the passages 13, i6 and 8| and cold water, hot water and hot air Will then be delivered to the manifolds 30 of the ampule carriers then located at the stations B, C and D. During turning movements of the turntable, the passages 83 will all be disaligned with the passages I3, 16 and BI and thus durin such turning movement of the turntable the flow of the several fluids to the carriers will be shut off, during which time the manifolds will be drained of hot and cold water, by the opening of their valves 54. It will be noted that the tubes 39 have one end coupled to each of the passages 83 in the plug valve I1.

To protect the ampules as well as to restrict any splash of the cleansing fluids, a cover plate 84 is provided over the top of each group of tubes 32. This plate is supported at its ends by the uprights 85 screwed to and rising from the bearings 36 and 42. These plates 84 and the uprights therefor are omitted in Fig. 3 for simplicit in illustration. The bowl or casing I may also be provided with a removable Wall extension 86 Fig. 1, to confine any splash within the bowl or housing.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved ampule-vvashing machine will be readily understood. The operator standing or seated at the front of the machine fills one of the carriers at station A by tilting the carrier forwardly, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 by moving handle 48 forwardly to place plunger 50 in notch 41. With the carrier in this position, the ampules 33 are slipped over the tops of the tubes 32 of the carrier. When the carrier is filled, han die 48 is moved rearwardly to cause th plunger 53 to engage the notch 46. This brings the carrier to its horizontal, or operating, position as in Fig. 1. The operator now grasps handwheel B and turns the same clockwise, or in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3. At the end of a quarter turn of the handwheel, the plunger 22 will click into engagement with one of the notches 23, thus indicating to the operator that the end of the required turning movement has been reached. At this time, plug valve I! has been turned to align the passage .83. with passage 14 so that a supply of cold water will then be deliveredinto themanifoldliil .of the carrier and will spray up through the tubes 32 to Wash the interiors of the ampules 33 then carried by the tubes. While this washing is taking place, the operatoris removing the washed and dried ampules then on a carrier at station A and when he has removed the cleansed ampules and refilled the carrier at that station, he again turns the handwheel for a quarter turn which'brings the first carrier to station C and the carrier which he has just filled to station B. As the first carrier starts in a direction toward station C its valve stem 55 rides upon the cam 51 and is held open to drain the manifold of that carrier until the carrier reaches station C, whereupon the valve 54 drops to closed position and hot water is delivered from passage 16 into the passage 83 of the carrier that is then aligned with passage 16. Next the carrier is moved to station D and while in movement to said station, cam 58 is draining its manifold of the hot water. At station D hot air, delivered through passage it reaches the interior of the manifold of the carrier and is sprayed into the interiors of the ampules carried by the tubes 32 to dry the same. 0n the next quarter turn of the handwheel, the carrier again reaches station A where the cleansed and dried ampules are removed and a new batch of ampules to be cleansed is placed on the carrier. The cycle of operations just described is then repeated.

The construction of the machine is such that it is continuous in operation. That is to say, while the operator is removing a cleansed and dried group of ampules from a carrier at station A, the carriers then positioned at stations B, C and D are having their ampules respectively treated with cold water, hot water and Warm air. As the turntable is rotated, the manifolds are drained of the hot and cold water and when the ampules finally reach the discharge station they are not only thoroughly cleaned but fully dried by the final hot air treatment and can be lifted off the carrier and packed away.

What I claim is:

i. In a machine of the character described, a casing having a surrounding side wall, a turntable rotatively mounted in the casing, a vertical shaft extending upwardly from the turntable, a handwheel at the upper end of the shaft, a plug valve secured to the lower end of the turntable and rotative therewith, a seat on which the plug valve is rotative, fluid supply pipes leading to said seat, passages through the plug valve in communication with the supply pipes when the plug valve is in a predetermined position relative to the seat, ampule supports carried by the turntable and rotative therewith when the handwheel is manually rotated, means for tilting the ampule supports and for maintaining the same in either a horizontal or a tilted position, tubes arising from said supports and on which the ampules are adapted to be supported with their open ends directed downwardly, pipes extendin from the ampule supports and connected with the passages in the plug valve, drain valves in the ampule supports, and cam means for holding the drain valves in open position during rotation of the turntable.

2. An amp-ule washing machine comprising, a rotative table, a spindle arising therefrom, a turning wheel on said spindle by means of which the table is rotated, stations at which the table is halted during it rotation, a'plurality of hollow ampule supports carried by the table, each of said supports constituting a manifold for the simultaneous supply of a cleaning fluid to a number of ampules supported by it, vertical jet tubes arising from the supports and bein all in communication with the interior of the support, each of said tubes carrying an inverted ampule on its upper end, fluid supply tubes leading to the interior of each of the supports, valve means for successively establishing communication between 2 5 in rotation between spraying stations to thereby drain out the interior of each of the supports of one fluid before the next fluid is forced into it.

JOHN TORIGIAN.

10 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 15 Number Name Date 175,066 Gates Mar. 21, 1876 881,575 Gulke Mar. 10, 1908 978,623 Nader Dec. 13, 1910 1,013,448 Rose Jan. 2, 1912 20 1,048,885 Risser Dec. 31, 1912 1,584,913 Wilson May 18, 1926 1,678,781 Ladd July 31, 1928 2,347,057 Lakso Apr. 18, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date 197,702 Germany Apr. 22, 1908 

